Willy Loman Flawed

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On November 10, 1949, William “Willy” Loman died from a tragic car accident at the age of 63. Willy lived in Brooklyn, New York with his loving wife Linda and their two sons, Biff and Happy. He had one brother named Ben who predeceased him. Willy was a wonderful man with huge aspirations. He was a skilled carpenter but until recently, he worked for the Wagner Company as a travelling salesman for 34 years, showing dedication for his job. To his family, he was “the man who never worked a day but for [his sons’] benefit”. He was a hardworking man devoted to his family, and he never stopped believing in himself and his sons. He had selfless devotion especially for Biff because he always thought he had potential of making it
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However, he feared that he wouldn’t “make a living for [Linda] or a business, a business for the boys”. He was more concerned about maintaining his pride as the sole provider of the family. Because Willy was their provider, Linda told Biff that “attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person”. Willy was a flawed man but his life mattered to his family because he supported them with his hard-earned money that he struggled to make. He deserved attention and honor for doing his best. No one should ever live their life thinking that they don’t matter to anybody because we are human beings, we are flawed, and we all go through hardships sometimes. Willy explains to his friend Charley that “a man who can’t handle a tool is not a man”. Willy could’ve been happier working as a carpenter because he was good with his hands and talented, but he never gave it a chance because he thought being a salesman would make him more successful, and people who do manual labor are looked down upon. However, being a salesman made him unsuccessful because he wasn’t skilled at it. When Willy died, Biff said, “there’s more of him in that front stoop than in all the sales he ever made”. Willy never appreciated his skills he did have. The skills he had allowed him to help his family at home. What he did for the house and family was more important than any sales he ever made.
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